Behistun

It is an emblematic city, the only place in the world where the past comes alive in everything. Behistun is located on the stretch of high plateau that connects Iran to Mesopotamia. It will make you explore the ruins of various eras such as those of the Medes, Achaemenids, Sassanids and Ilkhanids. To relive these moments, you will find, once on the spot, the main monument of the city, which shows a bas-relief and a cuneiform inscription ordered by Darius I the Great. This was upon his accession to the throne of the Persian Empire.

You will live the past of this wonderful city starting with the most representative monument of the country. This stimulus will push you to explore the full extent of this city. You will see on this bas-relief the powerful king Darius who holds a bow, his favorite weapon of combat, and crushes the torso of a man lying on his back in front of him. It is said that this character would be Gautama, a Median mage pretender to the throne, whose assassination allowed Darius to conquer power. This monument represents the symbol of its sovereignty.

Under and around the bas-relief, you will see some 1200 lines of inscriptions retracing the history of the battles that the great king Darius had to fight against the governors who tried to divide the empire founded by Cyrus. It is written in three languages: Old Persian, Elamite and Akkadian. The text is carved on Mount Behistun. You will observe that the famous king had it engraved on a cliff about 100 meters above the ground to tell how the supreme god Ahuramazda chose it to dethrone a usurper named Gaumâta.

The different panels you will see constitute the writings left by the king for future generations. You will observe a cuneiform text in Old Persian, telling the story of the conquests. It consists of four columns. Another tells more or less the same story in Babylonian. In addition, a third panel offers the same text in Elamite. It is moreover the latter, which is the only known monumental Achaemenid inscription on the refoundation of the Empire by Darius I.

On this rock, you will admire the excellent work of the artists who wanted at all costs to perpetuate the history of one of the greatest emperors of Iran. They erected a monument where you will see the god Ahuramazda and the king, the slain usurper and seven men representing seven rebellious people. Just to show all explorers Darius' victory over foreign enemies. These sculptures are famous today thanks to a change in the original design.

Monument

 

The god Ahuramazda and the king